


A Spirited Past

by Nickmangoldsbeard



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Elashorei Lavellan, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-30
Updated: 2018-04-30
Packaged: 2019-04-30 10:04:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,107
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14494563
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nickmangoldsbeard/pseuds/Nickmangoldsbeard
Summary: Ela is trying to find peace with her role as the bridge between worlds, but it’s not easy when she’s being haunted by the Avatar’s spirited past.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Elalavella](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elalavella/gifts).



> This is a gift for Varg who created the most wonderful tarot card I have ever seen as a surprise for my friend TK. I can only hope it brings her a fraction of the happiness that her art has brought me.

The serenity of the endless fields of blooming flowers that sprawl over the outer circle of Ba Sing Se is legendary throughout the Earth Kingdom. Ela can hear and feel the swaying of the natural landscape around her as she gazes off at the massive walls and buildings that make up the city proper in the distance. 

This has long been her favorite place to find some peace and qui-

“ELALALALALALA” 

Birds sing their displeasure and fly off in different directions as Sera’s scream shatters the peace the quiet. 

“You will never understand the value of a little uninterrupted meditation Sera I swear.” Ela sighs as she uncrosses her legs and rolls flat onto her back to stare up at the clouds.

Sera throws herself onto the ground at Ela’s side. “The fuck good is alone time if you don’t have a friend to share it with?”

Ela smiled at that. Not a lot about her life had been simple since she’d been named the Avatar, and that’s why she liked having Sera around. She knew how to keep things simple. 

“What are you even doing all the way out here?” Ela asked while she absentmindedly rolled wisps of air in and out of her fingers. 

“I came to find you of course!” Sera said with an elbow that made Ela’s wisps disappear with a soft pop. “I thought you might want to go to the Jasmine Dragon and visit your boooooyfriend.”

Ela turned bright red from the elbow and bright pink from the comment at the same time. ‘’I mean.. They do have the best tea in the city…”

“Uh huh.” Sera said, grabbing Ela’s arm and dragging her to her feet. “Sure they do.”

\---

As Ela and Sera made their way, loudly thanks to Sera, through the bustling streets of the Earth Kingdom capital, Ela started to get an uneasy feeling. Every turn they made she felt more like someone was following them through the crowds. Finally fed up, she grabbed Sera by the elbow and turned them down a deserted alleyway. 

“What are y-” - Sera started, but before she could finish, Ela had slammed her heel into the dirt and brought a three-foot thick layer of rock between them and the assailant, showering the whole alley with dirt. As the dust cleared, it revealed the biggest agent of the Dai Li, complete with his horned helmet and eye patch. 

“BULL.” Ela shouted, dropping the rocky shield with a thud. “I’ve asked you so many times not to sneak up on us like that.”

The Iron Bull stood mouth agape at the end of the alleyway. “I wasn’t trying to scare you, I promise. I’m just in the Dai Li, you know? Sneaky's kind of in the name.”

"Not much of a secret if ya have a uniform and waltz 'round sayin' you're a part of it." Sera said while brushing dirt off of her lime green poncho. 

Ela looked down at her own outfit and started laughing. “You made me cover myself in dirt!”

“It suits you,” The Iron Bull said walking over to give Ela a hug that knocked off most of the dirt. “You could’ve bent a different element if you didn’t want dirt in your hair.”

“I’m an earth bender first,” Ela said with a conviction that made it clear the distinction was important to her. “Becoming the Avatar hasn’t changed my commitment to that.”

“Alright, alright” The Iron Bull said. “I was just trying to catch up to you guys because I figured you came to meet my new… friend.”

Ela and Sera looked sheepishly at each other as they had both forgotten they agreed to meet The Iron Bull’s new boyfriend. 

“Yep! That’s why we’re here.” Sera said. 

"Yeah, that's it! Definitely!"

“Sure,” The Iron Bull told them, casting a skeptical look between the pair. “He’s waiting in the market.”

The Iron Bull and Sera headed off together down the alley, Sera insisting she hadn't forgotten and The Iron Bull not contesting it, but obviously not believing it.

Ela took a deep breath and bent a blast of air over the locket to clean it before she sprinted off after the others.

\---

A tall man with a groomed mustache was sampling the wares; his slicked-back hair was so shiny Ela could see herself in it.

“You’re seriously not buying another chachki are you?” The Iron Bull asked as he slid up next to the man, with all the sneakiness of the Dai Li. “We’ve shut down a dozen merchants in this place for selling fake artifacts and gems.”

“It’s been almost a hundred and fifty years since the end of the war and there’s still so much the fire nation doesn’t know about the great Ba Sing Se.” The words seemed to roll out of the man’s mouth and they had a mesmerizing quality to them that made Ela slightly uncomfortable. He was examining an hourglass filled with brilliant blue sand and twirling his mustache with two fingers.

“I’m exploring.” He added, turning towards The Iron Bull and noticing Ela and Sera for the first time. His eyes widened when they fell on Ela. 

“Ela, Sera, this is Dorian,” The Iron Bull, his cheeks flushing a little under his helmet. 

Dorian took each of them lightly by the hand. “It’s a pleasure, Bull simply gushes about you… both.” Ela laughed and Sera let out a loud "Oy!" at the obvious, if joking, slight.

“So you’re the Avatar,” Dorian said, playing with his mustache again. “Can you really bend all of the elements?”

“If ya count three as all of 'em," Sera said before sticking her tongue out at Ela.

Ela winced and looked down at her feet. Sera doesn't mean it that way. Sera doesn't mean it that way.

The Iron Bull cleared his throat loudly. "While I certainly trust you, Dorian, Ela usually appreciates a little more discretion than that."

“As she should,” Dorian nodded. “With the whole world looking to her to solve its problems, someone might think we'd be better off with a different Avatar. We'd be best served not mentioning it."

"Oy!" Sera said. "We already have the best Avatar-"

"It's okay," Ela interrupted with a hand on Sera's shoulder. “I know that the Avatar is supposed to be the master of all four elements and the bridge between the spirit world and our world, but water bending… It just won't...”

The tears started falling before Ela could even try to stop them and The Iron Bull quickly wrapped an arm around her shoulders. He shot Sera and Dorian pointed looks and said, “Come on. Didn’t you guys say you were headed to the Jasmine Dragon? I think we could all use some tea.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ela is trying to find peace with her role as the bridge between worlds, but it’s not easy when she’s being haunted by the Avatar’s spirited past.

The four of them shared a small, square table in one of the corners of the Jasmine Dragon. The Iron Bull and Ela sat on the inside of the table. Bull wanted a good view of the front door and Sera insisted Ela should have a good view of the wait staff.

“So Mr. Mustache,” Sera said, without preface, “What’s ’ere to know about you; ‘sides the fact that you’re Fire Nation.” She sat up with a stiff back and upper lip and affected a deep voice for the last two words.

Dorian pursed his lips in a completely dignified manner before responding. “I’m a firebender. I trained under General Iroh.”

“Yeah, right!” Sera shot back, leaning her chair back until only two legs were on the floor “You’d have to be 200 years old.”

“Not that General Iroh,” Dorian replied with the tone someone might use with a six year old. “His great grand-nephew. I learned a great many things from him.” Dorian waggled his eyebrows in case they missed his implication

“No way!” Ela and Sera cried out in unison.

“What?” Dorian said with a coy smile. The Iron Bull chuckled indulgently.

“You did not hook up with General Iroh.” Ela said in disbelief.

Dorian winked at Elal. “The Dai Li aren’t the only ones good at keeping secrets. You’ll have to keep wondering.”

As they were all pulling themselves back together from laughing at the one of the greatest military generals in fire nation riding Dorian’s mustache, Ela noticed that a tray with a piece of lemon cake had appeared next to her. She looked up to see the blond haired young man that Sera mockingly referred to as her “booooyfriend” looking at her.

He froze when Ela looked up and when he turned to start moving again, he slammed into another waiter and sent a tray of tea flying through the air. Ela flushed and looked down at her hands while Sera started kicking her under the table.

“I bet you wish ‘e cut you off a slice of something else, eh Elalala?” Sera said, looking over her shoulder at the boy who was now mopping up tea.

“Wuhh?” Ela asked with her mouth suddenly full of cake. She wasn’t sure how that happened without her noticing. It was good, though.

“Okay…” Sera corrected herself, “Maybe you wanna slice of both things.”  
\---

They spent a long time in the tea shop sipping and asking Dorian questions about the fire nation. By the time they left, they both approved of The Iron Bull’s new boyfriend, even if they both denied the title.

 

“Well s’been real, but I’ve gotta go to work. Don’t wanna be late,” Sera said, as they stepped back out into the alley.  
“That is difficult to believe,” Dorian said matter-of-factly.  
“Oh yeah?” Sera said stepping in close to him. “An why the fuck would I wanna be late?”  
Dorian took a half step back and smiled at her. “That’s not what I- Nevermind, you simply don’t seem the type to be overly concerned with someone else’s schedule.”  
Sera laughed and bent down onto one knee. “I guess I’m not.” She told Dorian, while sliding a knife out of her boot. She tossed the blade and it spun end over end, the light catching brilliantly off the tip before sticking into a poster on a nearby fence. Ela let out a heavy sigh as Dorian and The Iron Bull approached the sign together.

 

Wanted

The Swearing Swiper

Theft  
Gambling  
Extortion  
Disturbing the peace

Reward: 200 Gold Pieces

Dorian gave a faux round of applause to Sera. “Very impressive string of petty crimes, you must be proud of yourself.”

“Money’s good an’ I like what I do,” Sera said with a smile. “Gotta help people-people, you know?” And then she headed off on her way skipping along and singing “I’m the swearin swiper, fuck a la la la, they’ll never catch me, shit a doodle doo”

The Iron Bull made a show of tapping his lips. “I wonder why she’d sing a song like that? It’d be terrible of the Dai Li ever found out who the Swearing Swiper is. Reeducation is a bitch.”  
Ela and Dorian were laughing at Sera’s song and Bull’s falsely oblivious comments when an older man in loose green clothes came running up to them catching his breath.

“You’re Dai Li right! You’ve gotta help. Come quick!”

The three of them followed the man for two blocks until they reached an open street in front of a two-story building where a small crowd was gathered. There was a man with long brown hair standing on the fifth story balcony looking down.

“Oh ancestors,” Ela said. “He’s going to jump.”

“You can get him down Ela,” The Iron Bull said. “I’ll get in place to catch him if anything happens, you air bend up there and try to bring him down safely.”

Ela nodded with the Bull’s plan and sprinted to the edge of the building. She took a deep breath of air and set herself to jump. The moment she manipulated the wind, pain shot through her like a bolt of lightning and she let out a blood-curdling scream before collapsing to the ground.

\---

Ela woke up back in her apartment in the lower ring of the city. She was on the couch and The Iron Bull was holding a hot towel to her forehead.

“What… happened…” She asked.

“Try not to talk, Ela” he told her. “Something happened when you tried to bend. You screamed and fell over.”

Ela’s eyes widened for a moment in realization. “That… man…”

“He’s fine,” The Iron Bull said with a smile. “You spooked him when you screamed and he jumped, but I managed to shove a cabbage cart underneath him to cushion the fall. Funny thing, the guy who came and found us was really broken up about the cabbages.”

Ela smiled a little at that.

“Here’s the bad news,” The Iron Bull said with real concern painted all over his face. “Dorian’s a serious bending authority and he has no idea what the hell happened to you today. Now, I know the Avatar is a different turtleduck, but that’s not good.”

The look on Bull’s face made Ela shiver and she turned to press herself harder into the couch cushions. It was when she turned on her side and she looked down at herself that she noticed it.

“Did… you guys… take my locket off… when you moved me?” Ela asked.

“No,” he said, with a shock. “You never take that thing off.”

“Damnit.” Ela growled into the cushions.

“What is it?” Bull asked.

Ela groaned and rolled herself back over to face him. She took a deep breath and said, “I think the Swearing Swiper took my locket and stuck it in on the boy she wants me to talk to.”

“Oh, she is just the queen of bad timing.”

\---

“That’s not the point Sera!” Ela said, for the millionth time, while she poured over the books in her flat. She winced every now and then, but the pain was fading.

“Innit though?” Sera, said without looking up. She was sprawled upside down across Ela’s couch and looking extremely pleased with herself. “You’re gonna ‘ave to talk to ‘im. Seems like I did ya a favor. You’ll get it back. That boy prolly can’t swat a fly without apologizing.”

“I just wish you had asked or taken any of the steps a normal person would have,” Ela said with a sigh. “I have to figure out what the fuck is going on with my bending and now, thanks to you, I have to go confronta very cute guy to get my locket back.”

“Ya welcome!” Sera shouted. “You need more in your life than that Avatar shite. Blahdy-blah, it’s a part of you, but you still have ta be a person!”

“I- That-”

Sera tossed Ela her own wallet. “Buy yourself some cake, too. Then we’re even.”

Ela shook her head and just laughed. “Okay, fine, but if he doesn’t give it back, you won’t rest until I have it again.”

Pain from the spiritworld struck her again, not that it was any less painful for its source. “And you have to help me look for answers.”

“Seems silly t’me.” Sera replied, stretching herself even further out on the couch. “But alright.”

“What seems silly to you?”

“Tha’ White Peony-Pansy-Shmansy Order that nicked you from your mum made a big deal about all your cosmic,” here Sera stretched out the word and made whooshing noises and blew a raspberry for good measure, “powers an’ they din bother to leave ya with someone ta answer questions? Just like a buncha hoity toity magic bum shittin-”

“Of course!” Ela said, cutting Sera off. “There is someone I can ask. Also, wait, doesn’t everyone shit from their bum?”

“Ya welcome again! And that’s not important.” Sera said. “This is what I’m good for: ideas.”

Ela laughed at her, but didn’t derail her train of thought again, “If it’s happening to me, it’s probably happened to the Avatar before… I’m going to have Bull go with me to The Temple of the Four tonight.”

 

“An’ who lives there?” Sera asked.

“Nobody,” Ela said. “But I’m not looking for somebody living. I’m going to visit the spirit world. I’m going to ask the past Avatars for help.”

\---


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ela is trying to find peace with her role as the bridge between worlds, but it’s not easy when she’s being haunted by the Avatar’s spirited past.

The Temple of the Four was one of the most spiritual places in the city. It was built after the war as a symbol that Ba Sing Se would never shut out information or the rest of the world again. Ela had The Iron Bull help her into a back room where she sat cross-legged beneath four pillars. Each pillar held a representation of the four elements and there was a small ring set into the floor between them. 

“Shut the door,” Ela said to Bull as she closed her eyes. What she was about to do would make her physical body vulnerable, so this room was set up to make sure nothing would happen to it. 

The Iron Bull laughed and kicked the door shut. He sat down on the floor with his back against it. “I’ll watch your six.”

“My what?”

“Your back.”

Ela held a single thought in her mind and began to meditate. Her breathing roared loudly in her ears as the rest of her senses faded. Over and over in her head, like a mantra, she repeated the question, “What happened to my bending yesterday?”

“Hello Elashorei.”

The woman’s voice was jarring. Ela had never heard it before and yet it was almost as familiar to her as her own. She opened her eyes to see a tall woman in a long, green robe and intricate face paint standing before her. 

“Avatar Kyoshi,” Ela said, shifting into a more comfortable position. She wrapped her arms around her knees. “Thanks for coming.”

“I am a part of you, Ela” Kyoshi told her. “I didn’t have to come anywhere.”

“Oh… right.” Ela said, rubbing the back of her neck. “Well, do you have any idea what happened to me when I tried to airbend? I used earthbending right before and nothing happened.”

“That’s not the right question.” Kyoshi said. She lifted an ethereal hand and a large paper fan appeared. It opened with a snap. “There is a larger question at hand.”

Ela fucking hated when enlightened spirits talked to her in riddles.

“Well it hurt... A lot.” Ela told her. “I don’t mean to be rude, but I can’t help anyone if I’m out of commission every time I try to bend. What question should I be asking?”

“How does the Avatar bend elements that are not her own.” Kyoshi said. She moved the fan in a slow, delicate dance in between words. It was beautiful, highly unnecessary and Ela suspected retaliation for being told to hurry up.

“Oh…” Ela said. She squeezed her knees to her chest. “That is a good question. So how do I or uh.. We? Bend other elements besides earth.”

“The Avatar is the bridge between the mortal world and the spirit world. You bend the other elements by connecting to the spirits of Avatars past. Fire, water, and air benders among them.”

“So the spirit of some past Avatar hurt me? What did I ever do to them?!” 

“The Avatars are not the only residents of the spirit world. I believe that some wayward spirit may be using your connection to us while bending to attack you from the other side.”

For the first time in the conversation, Ela felt afraid. She bit her bottom lip. It had been ten years since the Order of the White Lotus had found her and taken her away from her mother for training. She hadn’t exactly had a reason to take a trip into the spirit world to make enemies. She was used to knowing her opponents. 

“So if I don’t find it and stop it…” Ela said, piecing things together.

“Then you will have no choice except to limit yourself to earth bending,” Kyoshi said with finality. “And a world without an Avatar that can command all four elements is out of balance.”

\---

Ela made her way back to the Jasmine Dragon on her own, cursing the loss of her locket along the way. She passed a few Dai Li agents on the way and briefly considered telling them all about the Swearing Swiper.

No, I’d never do that. She knows how much it means to me. I’m sure she has a good reason. It’s just… Not a good time. I could use some comfort right now. 

When she walked in the door, he had his back turned to her, serving a table some tea. Ela took ample time to consider if this view was actually better than the view from the front. 

He eventually finished serving the tea and saw her standing in the doorway. Color flushed his cheeks and he smiled shyly. It only lasted for an instant though before his eyes widened and he sprinted out of the room. 

“Wait, where are you-” Ela tried to call, but he was gone. She decided that since she now had to wait, it would be a waste not to admire the pastries behind the glass display. 

Ela was counting the money in her pocket when the young man with the blonde hair and the dreamy, golden eyes re-appeared.

“Hi,” she said, eloquently. “I’m Elashorei, but everyone calls me Ela.”

“Oh, you have a name!” He blurted out. “That’s great… I mean of course you have a name, but your name is nice. Yes.”

She smiled watching him fall all over his words. “I came by because I forgot my-”

“Your locket!” He said, pulling the gold chain from his pocket. “I found it when I was cleaning up. I hoped it was yours, er, I mean, it looked familiar, but everyone else said I should- Well, here.”

“Thank you so much for holding onto it,” She told him, fighting the blush on her pale cheeks. “And for the cake the other day, I think.”

“Oh, that was nothing,” He said, glancing down at his feet.

“You have a name too, don’t you?”

“Cullen.” He said, while rubbing one leg against the back of the other. He waited for a beat and then added, “Cake is really great huh…”

“Cake is the best.” Ela agreed, with a laugh.

\---

Ela had asked The Iron Bull to grab Dorian and meet her back at The Temple of the Four that night. She wasn’t sure how long she was going to be out of body trying to find the malignant spirit and she wanted all the protection she could get. When she got to the temple, they were standing outside talking.

“So, how much does the physical Avatar experience when they’re ya know… gone” The Iron Bull asked.

Dorian shrugged. “How should I know? My speculation is that it’s just an empty vessel perceiving nothing until its spirit returns. Why do you ask?”

“I just want to know if she’s going to be able to see what we’re doing while she’s in there.” Bull replied.

“Please don’t do that while I’m in the spirit world,” Ela said as she approached them.

“As you know, The Iron Bull is not so-named for his subtleties.” Dorian said, holding open the door to the temple. 

Ela was laughing as she walked past him and said, “No, he’s not.”

“After you,” Bull told Dorian. When he headed inside, The Iron Bull slapped him on the ass.

“Would you behave yourself, we’re here to help your friend get to the bottom of her problem.” Dorian said.

“You don’t look too broken up about it,” Bull shot back with a grin.

 

Ela settled herself back into the ring while Bull shut the door. Once again she held a thought in her mind and started to meditate, but this time, she was going to hunt down the spirit. 

\---


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ela is trying to find peace with her role as the bridge between worlds, but it’s not easy when she’s being haunted by the Avatar’s spirited past.

Ela’s ethereal form emerged in the spirit world in the middle of a thick forest. There was nothing explicitly out of the ordinary, but all of the colors of the greenery seemed somehow… muted and a thin mist rolled around her ankles. 

She shivered as she took in her surroundings. After a moment,she starting walking deeper into the trees, but the further she went in, the more she heard animal activity: a soft mewling sound, a ruffle of feathers, a snapping twig. 

“Who’s there?” She asked, spinning on her heel. 

She turned back the way she came and found herself eye-to-eye with an owlcat perched in a tree. 

“How, interesting.” The spirit purred with a voice that dripped with predatory hunger. “The Avatar wandering alone in the woods.”

“Who are you?” Ela asked, shifting into a defensive posture.

“Who indeed?” It called back, stretching its wings proudly away from its body. “I am Da Lin, a spirit of information.”

“That’s great,” Ela said, letting herself relax a little. “I could use some information right now.”

Da Lin’s “tongue” flicked out over it’s beak and desire flashed across its yellow feline eyes. “And what information, I wonder, does the Avatar seek? And what does she have to offer?”

That made Ela gulp; she didn’t say anything for a long time. It didn’t seem to have any effect on the spirit’s hunger for an answer, but then again, spirits didn’t think of time in the same way people did. She looked at that cold, unwavering stare and mulled the words over in her head. She felt like she was a little girl again, unable to get dessert until she figured out the White Lotus elder’s riddle. Da Lin had to want something like that…

“I don’t know, Da Lin,” She said and this time the spirit’s expression flickered confusion. “It seems to me that, as a merchant of information, knowing what I’m looking for is just as valuable to you as the answers are to me.”

The great winged beast stretched to its full height again and laughed. “Yes, so it would be seem. As clever as they say.”

Ela was proud that she had seen through the ruse, but she would have greatly preferred cake over that horrible smile.

“Something, a spirit, I think, is trying to use my bending to hurt me,” Ela said, feeling a twinge of pain as she mentioned the attack. 

Da Lin frowned at her, the expression morphing its beak oddly “I see; the attack has stained your spirit. What do you wish to know about him?”

“Him? Who is he? Where can I find him?” she asked.

“His name is Jiahai,” The spirit said, stretching its wings out to point over Ela’s shoulder. “The lake where he lives is that way.” 

Something about the way the owlcat said the name was extremely unsettling. “Jiahai?” Ela said incredulously. “You don’t mean the Jiahai who was the Avatar?”

“But, of course,” the spirit replied, preening as it saw Ela was surprised by the information it had to share. “Who else but another Avatar could have the power to attack you and the spiritual connection to carry it out?

Ela stayed silent for a moment, putting pieces together. “Why would the spirit of an Avatar want to hurt me?” 

Da Lin looked frustrated at the question. It mewled a sour tone, “I’m afraid that is something you’ll have to ask him yourself.”

Ela nodded and looked over her shoulder in the direction the spirit pointed. The trees opened up to a winding dirt path that led off into the distance. 

“Thank you-” she said, turning back towards the owlcat, but it was gone.

Ela turned around and took a deep breath, heading down the path.

Wait, did it say lake?

\---

The path eventually opened up the bank of a small lake. Wind rolled mist over the water, although, somewhere in her mind, Ela was aware that there probably wasn’t real weather in the spirit world. 

Why did it have to be a fucking lake? She thought to herself as she tried to take in as much detail about the far edges of the water as possible. Couldn’t the past Avatar’s spirit live on a cloud or maybe in a bakery?  
As she made her way around the edge of the lake, Ela could just barely make out a figure in the distance. As she got closer, the water in the lake started to bubble and ripple with anticipation. 

“Avatar Jiahai? My name is Elashorei,” She called out into the distance.

“I know who you are.” The spirit said, with a voice that had a hard edge too it. 

“Are you the one who attacked me when I tried to airbend?”

“I am. But my goal was never to cause you serious injury. I merely wanted to entice you to come here, so I could take the measure of the new Avatar.”

Ela pinched the bridge of her nose. “There isn’t a more subtle way you could’ve done that?”

“Ahh, but isn’t testing your investigative skills part of taking your measure?” He asked with a self-satisfied tone.

Fucking. Spirits.

Ela didn’t remember a lot about Jiahai. The White Lotus masters were always pressing her to learn the lessons of Avatars past, but she was much more interested in practicing bending. All she knew was that he was an Avatar from the water tribe who lived thousands of years ago. 

As she looked out over the waters of the lake that were sloshing back and forth with an energy that seemed alive, it occurred to her how important water must be for Jiahai’s spirit home to manifest itself this way. 

What was it Kyoshi said? “A world without an Avatar that can command all four elements is out of balance.” That’s it.

As Ela was working out the spirit’s motives, he had stepped closer to her from around the lake’s edge. He was no longer a blurred shape: she could see his weathered face, framed by a thin beard that had grayed on the ends before he passed.

“You’re upset I haven’t learned to waterbend,” She said. “I can’t truly serve the greater good if I haven’t mastered all the elements.”

Jiahai’s expression suddenly turned dark in a way that a truly human face never could. 

“Leave.” He said, his voice dripping with contempt. He turned his back and walked back into the obscurity provided by the mist. 

“What?” Ela called after him, “Wait!” She followed after him around the water’s edge. She couldn’t feel the ground beneath her the way her earthbending allowed her to in the real world, but she kept solid footing nonetheless. 

The lake was angrier with every step she took, waves thrashing and splashing her clothes Soon, she couldn’t see the shadowed figure of the spirit through the mist in the air. Waves crashed against the shoreline. Ela’s heart was pounding in her chest as she looked out at the treacherous water. 

She swore under her breath and started back the way she came. She wasn’t planning on making a permanent residence in the spirit world anytime soon and the waves were tossing water across her ankles, so she picked up the pace. She chanced a look over her shoulder and saw a wave taller than herself heading for the shoreline. 

Ela threw herself into a sprint. Just as she saw the break in the trees, the water came crashing down and she was tossed in a muddy, wet pile at the foot of a particularly unforgiving tree trunk. 

She looked up at the tops of the trees, feeling pain that certainly seemed real enough and couldn’t find the energy to keep her eyes from shutting.

\---

When Ela woke up back in her body, she coughed to try and purge the rest of the water from her lungs, but nothing came. She noticed that the pain from the fall was gone too. 

Thank the Maker for that

“Ela,” Bull said, elbowing Dorian awake. “You’re back.”

She told them about her trip into the spirit world and how she’d managed to make Jiahai even angrier. She needed to find out more about him if she was ever going to bend safely again.

Ela had gone into the spirit world looking for answers, but she came back with more questions.

What happened to Jiahai to make him so upset? What did I say that made it worse? Were the buttons on Dorian’s shirt messed up like that before I went in?

\---


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ela is trying to find peace with her role as the bridge between worlds, but it’s not easy when she’s being haunted by the Avatar’s spirited past.

“You sure you’re alright, Boss?” The Iron Bull was sitting on the love seat in her apartment, leaning half out of the chair with a deep look of concern on his face.

Ela was lying across the other the couch and Bull had a point that she didn’t look very comfortable.

“I’m alright,” She told him. “It just hurts a little, whatever Jiahai is doing.”

“What?” Bull said, somehow deepening his worry. “I thought you hadn’t been bending.”

“I haven’t” Ela said. “It’s hard to explain. Bending isn’t just the big flashy stuff like throwing fireballs and hurling yourself 20 feet in the air. It’s a connection to the elements around you.”

“I know some Earth benders that can see by feeling the ground under their feet.” Bull asked.

“Exactly.” She told him, while propping herself up against the arm of the couch. “Even if I’m not bending air or fire, I’m still feeling them. The connection’s not enough to knock me out like before, but it hurts. It’s like my soul has a headache.”

Bull scratched at his chin for a moment and said, “I think I can help.”

“You can?” Ela asked, blinking at him. It wasn’t that his desire to help surprised her, The Iron Bull had always been willing to do whatever he could, but they were operating pretty far outside of his skillset. ...She was pretty sure, anyway.

“There’s a technique we’re trained in when we join the Dai Li; it is very secret.” He told her, mockingly glancing around the room as if to catch some hidden interloper. “I think it came from one of the original Kyoshi Warriors. The idea is to strike specific points to block someone’s chi and shut down their bending.”

Ela nodded along with Bull’s explanation.

“Normally, it’s defensive. You know, to help us non-benders level the playing field.” He shrugs. “But I wouldn’t have to actually hit you to make it work. One little massage later and BAM, no passive bending, no pain.”   
“It’s a worth a shot, even if it’ll knock out all of my bending,” Ela said. “How do you need me?”

“Just sit on the edge of the couch, there.” The Iron Bull got out of his chair and stood behind the couch. His hands worked quickly, applying firm pressure to small spots up and down her back.

Though he wasn’t really loosening the muscles, Ela felt the tension drain out of her as the pain from her passive bending faded. Her senses felt muted without it, but at the moment, it was better than the alternative.

“Don’t tell me he’s convinced you to try chi blocking,” Dorian said, walking in as The Iron bull stepped back. “He's been trying to talk me into that since the first time we were together. You give him one little heat blister and suddenly you’re on your back in the dark.”

Ela ignored Dorian’s comments and put a hand on Bull’s arm. “Thanks, Bull.”

 

Ela stood and grabbed a white ceramic tile off a shelf and slipped it into her pocket. “Alright. Are you two ready to meet the Order of the White Lotus?

\---

Ela and Dorian were leaning against the wall outside of a building that lacked any distinctive features while The Iron Bull, back in his full Dai Li regalia, was looking suspiciously down the street.

“Where’s Sera?” Bull asked.

Ela laughed and pointed the other way. A group of kids were playing in a big patch of grass between the buildings. Sera was standing in the middle holding the ball out of their reach. She handed it to the smallest child in the group and skipped off toward Ela, Dorian and Bull.

“Mornin’” Sera called, with a grin.

“You certainly look happy this afternoon Sera,” Dorian said. 

She stuck her tongue out at him. “Mornin’s when ya wake up innit?”

“I suppose,” Dorian told her, with a raised eyebrow. 

“What were you doing with those kids?” The Iron Bull asked her

“They didn’t know how to share,” Sera said with a laugh. “Had to make sure the lil one got a turn.”

“That’s very sweet of you, Sera.” Ela said, as she walked over to the building’s nondescript door and knocked three times. Several flecks of paint fell off.

An old man in a pale green shirt and matching hat opened the small slide-window in the door and peered through. He squinted his eyes as they adjusted to the daylight before saying, “Ah, Elashorei. Come in, come in. Hurry now.”

Ela sighed and turned to The Iron Bull, showing him the tile she’d picked up in her apartment. “They never let me use it,” she complained before going inside.

Past the door was a small room filled with various seemingly-random objects that looked like they belonged in a place of business. There were shelves with scrolls of information and knick knacks for sale, just enough to avoid the suspicion of anyone who refused to take no for an answer at the door. 

There were also several other older men and women hanging around. Two men were at a table playing Pai Sho while another group was in a corner sipping tea and laughing at each others’ stories. 

“Quite an unassuming location for the Order of the White Lotus,” Dorian said, taking in the details of the room. “Your reputation is much grander than these… accommodations, but I suppose it is the Earth nation.”

The man who answered the door touched his index finger to his nose and winked at the firebender before saying, “Come now, Elashorei, Yahui will want to speak to you and your friends.”

They made their way across the room to a shelf where a woman was tending to potted plants. She had her gray hair tied in a loose ponytail and had her back turned to them.

“Yahui,” Ela said excitedly, touching the woman on the shoulder. 

She turned around and wrapped Ela in a hug. “Elasharei, it’s so good to see you.” After a few seconds they broke their embrace and she asked, “Who are your friends?”

“Oh, of course,” Ela said, “This is Sera, Dorian, and The Iron Bull.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Yahui told them. “What’s brought you home, dear?”

The question brought the warmth of the reunion to a halt as Ela was reminded why she came. Yahui had known her long enough to recognize the change in her expression.

“I need to know about Avatar Jiahai,” Ela told her. “His spirit is attacking me when I try to bend, and I don’t know why, and I went to the spirit world and confronted him and I just made him more upset and-”

“Oh dear,” Yahui sighed. “Slow down, it’s okay.”

Ela took a deep breath and started again, “I went to speak with him… to find out why he was hurting me. He said he wanted to see what kind of Avatar I was, but when I tried to talk to him, he was furious and then there was this horrible lake…”

Ela could feel tears welling up remembering the feeling of being overpowered by the water. She closed her eyes tight to stop them from coming. 

The Iron Bull placed one of his hands on her back as a comfort while Yahui seemed to be taking in all the information.

“I’m sorry, Ela.” She said. “Sometimes the burdens of the Avatar are so great and I would give anything to be able to bear them for you. Jiahai was a waterbender, as I’m sure you gathered. He was the Avatar during the height of the Water Tribes’ power hundreds of years ago.”

Ela nodded, “If he has such pride in the water tribes, why did it make him so upset that I said I should learn waterbending? Isn’t that what he wants?”

“I don’t know what he wants,” Yahui said with a frown. “I’m afraid our order in Ba Sing Se is not an authority on Water Tribe history.”

“Where would you suggest we go?” Dorian asked. “It occurs to me that traveling to the north pole might be dangerous with Ela unable to consistently use her bending.”

“You’re right,” She told him. “But you don’t need to travel that far. You can find everything you need to know without leaving the Earth Kingdom.”

“Where?” Ela asked incredulously.

“You’ll have to travel to the Si Wong Desert,” Yahui said. “And visit the great spirit library of Wan Shi Tong.”

Ela and Bull gasped, Dorian’s eyes glittered and Sera said, “The what?”

“It’s a huge library that was buried in the sand,” Ela told her. “But the sandbenders unearthed it.”

“They say it houses all the world’s knowledge,” Dorian added. “Just like Ela, it’s a bridge between all the knowledge of our world and the spirit world.”

“Then what’re we waitin for?” Sera asked.

Ela gave Yahui a hug and they left to pack for their journey into the desert.

“Ela,” Yahui said, “Be careful not to break anything in the library. The spirits that make their home there don’t care for visitors.”  
\---


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ela is trying to find peace with her role as the bridge between worlds, but it’s not easy when she’s being haunted by the Avatar’s spirited past.

The midday sun was beating down on the sand as “Team Ela,” Sera’s phrasings, finally caught sight of Wan Shi Tong's Library. 

A pillar thrusted out of the ground and stood thirty feet high. The outside of the library had a light aesthetic with bright colors and swirling lines.

Ela and Sera were riding on the back of a Camelephant while Dorian walked alongside The Iron Bull, who held the reins. Ela had her head wrapped in a blue shawl that protected most of her face from the wind-blown sand. 

“Unideal as the circumstances may be,” Dorian said, squinting into the distance. “I can’t say I’m not looking forward to finally getting inside the library.

“Don’t dilly-dally,” Sera shouted down. “Less time by this spirit stuff the better, yeah?”

“You’re not afraid of ghosts are you, Sera?” Bull laughed.

“I’ll feel better once I know if arrows hit ‘em,” she answered.

Ela put her arm on Sera’s shoulders for reassurance, “I’m sure if we’re careful, like Yahui said, we won’t see any spirits.” 

\---

The inside of the library was dimly lit and paint peeled off exposed sections of the few walls. The ceilings were high, which allowed for towering shelves of books that covered almost every surface. 

Maybe it’s a spirit library because only a spirit could possibly have time to read them all...

The silence in the library was thick until it was broken suddenly by the sound of a pedestal shifting. Ela turned to see Sera scrambling to straighten it, after bumping into it. On top, the ancient-looking vase rocked precariously before settling down.

“Shall we wait a few minutes before we upset the spirits?” Dorian asked with a smirk.

They split up and started making their way through the stacks, looking for any information on Avatar Jiahai. Ela looked through the titles on three shelves, trying to get a feel for the organization system, but she couldn’t make sense of it. 

“Take a look at this,” Bull said, taking a book from a high shelf. “The title just says Avatars.”

Ela started flipping through the pages. Each page was a different Avatar: their name, their discipline, their birth and death dates. 

“There’s nothing here,” Ela said, closing the book and handing it back. “It lists all the Avatars accomplishments, but it looks like he really didn’t have any.”

“Maybe that’s why he’s mad.” Bull said, replacing the book. “He didn’t do shit and he’s jealous that you might.”

“I don’t think so,” Ela said, biting her lip. “There are a lot more accomplished Avatars than me for him to be mad at. It must have something to do with his life before he was the Avatar.”

“Or after,” Dorian added. “If his experience was as lackluster as you say, perhaps whatever has him throwing a fit happened after he was already dead.”

“Yahui said he was the Avatar during the height of the water tribes, right?” Ela said, “What made them fall?”

“Excellent question,” Dorian said, eyes lighting up at the realization. 

“I saw a book like that” Sera told them, rummaging through the shelfs. “‘Ere you go! The Water Empire.” She read the title of the book, mocking a tone of refinement. 

“Great, Sera!” Ela said, rushing over to take a look. 

She poured through the pages frantically, her eyes darting back and forth over the text. “Here!” 

She read aloud:

At its height, the Water Empire was made up of fierce tribes that lived on lakes all over the world. Boasting the largest naval fleet ever assembled, the proud waterbenders acted as intermediaries for trade, hunters and gatherers, and guards protecting seafaring travelers. 

The downfall of the Water Empire is attributed to the growth of the world’s population out-pacing its agricultural production. Despite the urging of the Water Nation elders, representatives of fire, earth, and air, along with the Avatar, determined that in order to preserve the greater good, lakes would have to be broken up to create new irrigation for farmland. The plan was a success and the world’s agricultural production climbed, but the water tribes slowly dwindled until only those on the farthest northern and southern poles survived.

Several seconds passed when Ela finished the passage. 

“I never knew,” she whispered. “No wonder he was so upset when I mentioned the greater good.”

“You had no way of knowing Ela,” The Iron Bull told her. 

“We have a pretty good idea of why he’s upset,” Dorian said, twirling his mustache. “But we don’t know why he’s upset at you.”

“That’s a good question,” Ela said, still looking over the text.

“One we can think ‘bout somewhere else?” Sera asked, with her arms folded tightly across her chest.

“You’re right,” Ela nodded, putting the book into her bag. “We should get back to the White Lotus and figure all this out. I can’t go back to the spirit world unprepared again.”

They made their way to the exit where they found their path blocked by a massive jade snake. Shadows stretched out in all directions from the spirit and they seemed to suck the already dim light from the room. 

“Selfish humans,” It hissed. “Always trying to take what doesn’t belong to you.”

Ela clutched her bag tighter, “We’ll put the book back, I’m sorry.”

“I’m afraid it’s too late for that.” As the snake spoke, the shadows seemed to pulse with feral energy. An arrow shot through the spirit, passing through harmlessly, but shattering the tension before shattering against the wall in a spray of splinters.

“Shite,” Sera cursed.

They scrambled to run the other way as the shadow tendrils came alive and started giving chase through the library. Books fell from the shelves and lamps, pots, and other decorative objects smashed to the floor as they attempted to outrun the beast.

They turned a corner and found themselves at a dead end. With their backs up against a shelf of books, the shadows started to close in.   
Refusing to give up on the fight, Sera started pulling books from the shelves and hurling them at the attacker. 

“An arrow didn’t hit the bloody thing,” Dorian laughed through heavy breaths. “Why would a book?”

The darkness was close enough that Ela couldn’t have seen her hands in front of her face, but just as it threatened to swallow them whole, Sera pulled another book. 

Click, click.

The sound of a contraption gave way and the bookshelf started to spin. Ela braced herself to run once they were let out on the other side, but instead the room just kept spinning and suddenly the ground gave way and she felt herself falling. She reached out in the blackness for Sera or Bull’s arms but felt nothing. 

After what felt like an eternity, she landed softly on the ground. She looked and saw The Iron Bull, Dorian, and Sera laid out around her. 

Ela recognized her surroundings. The bookshelf had dropped them in the Spirit World, specifically the forest just outside Jiahai’s massive lake.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ela is trying to find peace with her role as the bridge between worlds, but it’s not easy when she’s being haunted by the Avatar’s spirited past.

The group trudged along the dirt path with Ela in front, flanked by The Iron Bull. Dorian walked casually behind them next to Sera, whose eyes scanned over the edges of the thick woods. 

“This is extraordinary,” Dorian said, joining Sera in examining their surroundings, but his was a look of awe rather than nervousness. 

“We’re almost to the lake,” Ela said, looking over her shoulder at the others. “I should do the talking, I think I owe Jiahai an apology.” 

The Iron Bull gave a terse nod and they marched on. As the edge of the lakebed came into view, Ela held up her hand for them to stop and wait. 

“Avatar Jiahai,” she called out to the swirling water, placing one foot carefully in front of the other. “I’m… sorry for what I said before.”

Jiahai’s figure appeared alongside the lake once more. “I see. What have you done that warrants an apology?”

Ela bit her bottom lip, she couldn’t afford to be thrown, literally or figuratively out again. “I was being stupid. I thought the only thing you cared about was having an Avatar worthy of the title, but I know that’s the only thing I cared about.”

He nodded at her and then he carefully sat down in the dirt with his legs crossed. “You thought. What do you think I care about now?”

Ela took his lead and sat down too, she gave her friends a look to let them know she was okay. “I think you care about your people, just like how I care about my friends. I… read about how the irrigation project forced them out of their homes.”

Pain showed on Jiahai’s face when he nodded. “Coping with loss is easy when it's the result of some great evil, but how do you cope when you lost everything to the greater good?”

Ela grimaced when he repeated the same phrase she’d used before. “It’s not your fault, Elashorei, but the last time you were here, you sounded just like Avatar Wei Yi. He was so sure that destroying my home was for his greater good.”

 

The silence between them was heavy. Ela’s voice was barely more than a whisper when she said, “I’m so sorry.”

His sigh was as heavy as the silence. “Thank you. Can you comprehend how hard it is to suffer a loss like that when you’re the Avatar? To have held such power only to find yourself powerless to save the ones you love? To them, to my people, it was the ultimate betrayal. It is selfish to think only of the element you were first born to, but it is callous to ignore it.”

“Yes,” Ela said, feeling tears threaten to well up, “I can. Before the White Lotus found me, my little sister, Lhuneiah, she drowned in a lake outside Omashu…” The tears streaked Ela’s face as she spoke. “She was only nine and she died and then when they told me I was the Avatar and I didn’t know if I would ever be able to live with myself. If I had known. If I had practiced my bending more, I could have used my water bending to save her.” 

Jiahai moved to sit closer Ela and put his hand on her shoulder. “I’m sorry, that pain is a terrible burden. It is no wonder you can’t bend water. To be able to have saved her after the fact is worse than never having the ability.”

Ela looked into the spirit’s eyes and saw that they were wet with tears. “How can I learn to bend water if the only thing I see when I’m around it is her face?”

“I spent a long time wondering how I would survive with my guilt,” He told her. “I hoped telling the new Avatar my story might ease my pain, and that decision has given me the chance to meet a wonderful young woman. I understand if you never want to learn to bend water, but if the time ever comes that you do, I will be your teacher.”

Ela wiped the tears out of her eyes and smiled at him. “I’d like that. Thank you, Avatar Jiahai. Is there any way you could help me and my friends get back to the real world?”

“I would be glad to,” Jiahai said, helping Ela to her feet. “How did you get here in the first place?”

Ela blushed, “It’s a long story.”

\---

Jiahai sent them all back to The Temple of the Four. The sun had gone down and they headed off together towards Ela’s flat, taking in the stars over the city as they walked. 

“Thank you all so much for going in there with me,” Ela said, “It reminded me that having you three by my side means more to me than being the Avatar.”

“Same goes for me and the Dai Li, El” The Iron Bull said, clapping her on the shoulder.

“And the Swearing Swiper,” Sera nodded.

“Well the fire nation goes without saying, doesn’t it?,” Dorian laughed. “They’re a bunch of prats.”

Ela held each of them tightly at the door to her flat before heading inside to sleep off her trip into the spirit world. 

\---

Ela was making circles in her coffee with a stirrer while Dorian and Sera argued about the merits of bending. Bull was trying not to get involved. The four of them were back at their table in the Jasmine Dragon. 

“Sorry to interrupt,” Cullen said, approaching their table. “Ela, I was wondering if I could talk to you for a second.”

 

“Sure can!” Sera said, pushing Ela out of her chair with her feet.

 

Ela’s cheeks flushed and she followed Cullen to a quieter corner of the shop. 

“What did you want to talk about?” Ela asked.

“Well Sera mentioned you were practicing waterbending now and well,” He was turning his lucky coin over and over in his hand while he searched for words. “Lake Lowgai is really pretty… I was wondering if you wanted to go with me sometime.”

Ela beamed at him, “I’d love to.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that's the end of my first fic ever. :) A million thanks again to TK for helping me through it and to Varg for letting me borrow her wonderful character.


End file.
